1. The Field of the Invention
This invention is in the field of catheterization systems. More specifically, this invention is in the field of catheterization systems having one or more wires that extends through a catheter.
2. State of the Art
A variety of different wires are employed in conjunction with catheters inserted into the body of a patient. A guide wire, for example, may be initially inserted into a patient""s blood vessel, after which a cannula is inserted over the guide wire into the blood vessel. The guide wire thus xe2x80x9cguidesxe2x80x9d the cannula into a desired location within the blood vessel.
On some occasions, guide wires are extended through catheters, after which the catheter is either removed or is allowed to remain on the guide wire. For example, a catheter may be removed from the guide wire, after which a new catheter is inserted along the guide wire, thereby replacing the old catheter with a new catheter.
Occluding wires are employed within infusion catheters to cause fluid within the catheters to flow out of infusion holes in the catheters. Examples of such infusion catheters are disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/273,037, entitled Infusion System with Fixed Occluding Wire, to Mottola et al., filed Mar. 19, 1999, which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference. A variety of other wires may be employed in catheter systems.
Catheters typically have a distal insertion end that is inserted into the body and a proximal, exposed end that is positioned outside of the body during use. In certain catheterization procedures, an end of an occluding wire, guide wire or other wire is allowed to extend out of the exposed proximal end of a catheter over an extended period of time.
As the wire extends out of the catheter, it is possible for the wire to puncture or scratch a practitioner""s body, such as a hand, arm, or glove of a practitioner. A wire can also scratch a patient in whom a catheter is inserted. However, it is important that the wire be readily accessible to the practitioner for use during the catheterization procedure.
There is, therefore, a need in the art to protect a practitioner and a patient from an occluding wire, guide wire or other wire extending from a catheter, while nevertheless allowing the practitioner to readily access the wire when needed.
It is, therefore, an object of the invention to provide a catheterization system having a puncture guard for a catheter wire.
It is another object of the invention to provide a catheterization system having a puncture guard that provides convenient access to a catheter wire when desired.
It is another object of the invention to provide a catheterization system having a puncture guard that can move when the practitioner desires to adjust the position of a catheter wire.
It is another object of the invention to provide a resilient, flexible puncture guard.
The present invention relates to a puncture guard and an improved catheterization system employing the puncture guard. The improved catheterization system comprises: (i) a catheter system which receives a wire therein; and (ii) a puncture guard that flexibly, resiliently covers a portion of a wire extending from a proximal end of the catheter system. The catheter system may comprise an infusion catheter or a variety of other catheters that employ a wire.
The phrase xe2x80x9ccatheter systemxe2x80x9d as employed in this specification and the appended claims relates to: (i) a catheter; or (ii) a catheter and one or more adaptors configured to be coupled to the catheter. The puncture guard of the present invention may be coupled directly to a catheter but is preferably coupled indirectly to the catheter by being coupled to an adaptor, which is coupled to the catheter. Examples of adaptors, catheters, and wires that may be employed in the present invention are disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/273,037 entitled xe2x80x9cInfusion System with Fixed Occluding Wire,xe2x80x9d filed Mar. 19, 1999, to Mottola, et al, which is incorporated herein in its entirety be reference.
A variety of different embodiments of the puncture guard of the present invention may be employed. One embodiment of a puncture guard comprises a flexible, resilient tube that is selectively mounted on a portion of a wire extending from the proximal end of the catheter. The tube covers the proximal end of the wire, preventing the wire from puncturing or scratching a practitioner or patient, yet still allowing a flexible wire to move if the practitioner desires to move the wire out of a certain area, for example. Thus, in one embodiment, the puncture guard couples to the wire, but is not mounted on the catheter system.
Another embodiment of a puncture guard comprises a flexible, resilient tube that covers a portion of the wire extending from the proximal end of the catheter system and selectively couples to the catheter system. A distal end of the tube is configured to be selectively coupled to the proximal end of a catheter system.
Yet another embodiment of a puncture guard of the present invention comprises: (i) a hollow rigid member; and (ii) a hollow resilient, flexible member selectively coupled thereto. The preferred embodiment of the hollow rigid member comprises a hollow rigid body and a gripping flange extending distally from the rigid body. The gripping flange is configured to be selectively coupled to the proximal end of the catheter system.
The puncture guard can be conveniently manufactured in conjunction with an adaptor and/or a catheter to which the puncture guard is selectively coupled. One example of a system configured to receive a wire therein during a catheterization procedure comprises a puncture guard and an adaptor. The puncture guard can be manufactured to be selectively coupled to the adaptor. The puncture guard and adaptor combination can serve collectively as a system that can be employed in conjunction with a variety of different catheters.
One advantage of the puncture guard of the present invention is the flexible nature of at least a portion of the puncture guard. Since the puncture guard is at least partially flexible, it is possible to move a flexible wire and the puncture guard, e.g., by temporarily bending the puncture guard flexible portion and the wire to a desired location. This allows the practitioner to move the wire when needed for a particular procedure. Nevertheless, the practitioner is protected from the proximal end of the wire.
Another advantage of the puncture guard of the present invention is the fact that the flexible member is preferably configured in the form of a sleeve. Since the sleeve has openings at both ends, a wire can be removed from or inserted into the catheter through the sleeve.
Yet another advantage of the preferred puncture guard of the present invention is the removable nature of the puncture guard. Since the preferred puncture guard is removable, it is possible to remove the puncture guard, place a wire into the catheter, then mount the puncture guard over the wire, for example. Optionally, the wire is extended through the puncture guard.
Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by the practice of the invention. The features and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instruments and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims. These and other features of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims, or may be learned by the practice of the invention as set forth hereinafter.